The old adage is that you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends.  I guess the corollary would be that you can’t choose where you were born, but you can choose where you live.

While I was born in Springfield, I live here by choice.  I left Springfield to work right after college and then returned when my mother became terminally ill.  If I didn't think Springfield was a pretty nice place to live, Cindy and I would probably be elsewhere--it hasn't been for lack of opportunity in the past that we opted to stay here.  

People have accused me of being a “Pollyanna”—maybe so, but I’ve always considered my glass half full, not half empty.  So don't expect a lot of bad-mouthing of the city we live in--sure, there are plenty of issues that have to be dealt with, but I've always seen Springfield ultimately figure out what needed to be done and then step up and do the right thing.  The Police/Fire Pension Tax election was just one example.

Once the voters became educated on the issue and realized two things:  a) it was very complicated, and b) it wasn’t going away—they did the right thing.  And once again, as always, I am honored to call Springfield home.

Recently, I was invited to speak to the directors of the League of Women Voters, a non-partisan organization that researches and establishes positions on various political and civic topics.  The topic was “Long-term Challenges Facing Springfield.”

During the Q-and-A session following my talk, one member also asked about the topics that City Council was dealing with that were more contemporary or short-term.  I provided a short off-the-cuff list as I see it:

Decline of sales tax revenue (we’re still in a recession in spite of the recent vote on the pension issue)

Reduction of services to the citizens of Springfield (that recession means we have over 130 vacant positions frozen—these are jobs that could be providing services to our residents and visitors)

Swine flu pandemic  (the federal government once again is having trouble delivering on its promises, so local officials are taking the questions and the heat)

Updating the container ordinance  (previous Councils passed the ordinance and then put in on an administrative delay for the current Council to deal with)

Commercial Street issues (this is our own local microcosm of the national discussion/argument between commerce and social services)

Re-engineering the Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights (a legal decision pulled the teeth from enforcement activities—now the question is how can this Chartered organization be a valuable resource for citizens)

Defining and zoning urban gardens (Gotta tell you—I’m just not ready to vote for chickens, hogs, and llamas inside the city limits)

Updating the sign ordinance (balancing the desire to project a dignified city appearance with the First Amendment and the freedom to run your business as you determine necessary)

Integrating more with Greene County on projects (Library, Health Department, Parks, law enforcement—we already cooperate in many ways.  Are there other efficiencies to be gained by collaboration?)

Interacting more with our state senator and representatives (the power grabs are on in Washington and Jefferson City—we need to protect our ability to say what our City is like and how we run it)

Retaining local control over local issues (See the item just above)

I know that other Council members would have different lists and, after seeing them, I would probably borrow some of their topics for my list.  That’s why we have nine Council members—for that synergy of ideas and to make sure that all segments of Springfield are represented.

Regardless of your views of my list or those priorities of other Council members, the next couple of years will be very interesting for Springfield.  Who would want to be anywhere else?